January Sale was a big success in many ways, we shipped out over 50 records and a great many downloaded a ton of great albums from the back catalog. Yet, to be honest, I still need to move a ton of material off my shelves if I am going to really open a new chapter for Debacle.

What does this mean for you? Only good things. A majority of the back catalog will now forever be insanely marked down and all previous digital releases will be pay-what-you-want. This means no more flash sales or March Super Sales. If people are just going to wait until these sales to buy, why not just always have these prices in effect. After all these records are going to do the world much more good sitting on your shelf than on mine.

New albums will have our standard price structure and most likely won't go on sale any time soon.

I am also looking into system for our customers to help us know exactly how many bells and whistles we can include on any one record. If I had it my way every release would have 180g colored vinyl, spot UV gloss art, and a printed innersleeve. Yet it's hard to tell which albums will sell well enough to make those options viable. We usually print the albums well before pre-orders go up so it makes it hard to estimate how far to take it. I have seen other publishing industries tackle this via Kickstarter and the like. Graphic novels, zines, board games, poetry and the like, who have hard physical costs, have adopted a sort of elastic preorder system. Wherein, most likely, the object is going to print either way they are just asking the customer to preorder so the publisher knows exactly how many to print and at what level. It seems like the music industry is a holdout from using these techniques so far.

So would you pre-order a release 6 months or more ahead of schedule to help increase the amount of included art and vinyl quality? Email me if you have any feedback here.

I wanted to write a personal message to you, discussing what I have planned for our HUGE 2017 and how you can help us get there.

First off, huge thanks to anybody who came to our festival, purchased a record, shared our music or whatever else Debacle related last year. It is all so important and helpful. 2016 was a big year that sort of mapped out the future style of Debacle operations. Fewer releases but each release was a powerful record with a renewed focus on high quality packaging, and coherent yet diverse curation.

Medina / Walsh - Vault of Angels

Chambers - Sigma Flare II

Chambers Sigma Flare I

We also spent a large amount of 2016 planning for 2017. In fact we have the entire year planned through September, which I want to share it with you right now.

BUT FIRST!

How you can help us make this plan a reality. Operating a record label in 2016 is a uphill battle, from revenue streams narrowing, to the absolute ocean of music available to everybody at a touch of a button. That said, I deeply believe Debacle is offering a wonderful collection of beautifully packaged albums from phenomenal artists and I want to continue to do so into the new year.

So what can you do? Pick up some records, of course! I have discounted the entire back catalog for the month of January. Physical releases are 60% off (meaning $3 CDs and $7 LPs) and our entire digital back catalog is pay what you want.

I am looking to clear out this back-catalog and open a new chapter on the label. While I have yet to feel the need to do something like opening a kickstarter or indiegogo, offering this is basically us asking you to invest in the future of Debacle and be greatly rewarded with fantastic products. Spread the word, share the deals. Let’s try to clear off my shelves so we can make way for our upcoming slate!

CAMEDOR

February brings us a release from a newcomer by the name of Camedor, one José Orozco Mora from Mexico. I recently received this EP as a demo and instantly fell in love with it. We are offering a very limited-edition run on clear blue vinyl with a screenprinted clear sleeve. Only 100 copies will be on offer, so pick it up today. The EP includes two sun worshipping tracks of looping layered guitar, including an arrangement of Terry Riley’s “In C”! Pre-orders online now.

CHAMBERS

To follow up the two CRIMINALLY slept on Chambers Sigma Flare albums from last year we are releasing a short run double cassette absolutely PACKED with remixes from the Vancouver bass underground and elsewhere. Find that on physical and digital editions in March. Pre-orders up soon. Look for more info shortly.

ELKHORN

Elkhorn are longtime friends Jesse Shepard (12 string acoustic guitar) and Drew Gardner (electric guitar). Fresh off their debut tape on Beyond Beyond is Beyond, this incredible duo fuses a rich vein of American primitive with psych, jazz, and improv. The result is a nearly perfect album that wildly bounds through the American story of guitar in the 20th century. It is a high wire act of the highest order. Album will come on heavyweight vinyl in a beautiful sleeve designed by Mikey Rioux with spot UV gloss.

Pre-Orders up on Feb 1st, 2017

Preview of cover by Mikey Rioux

UV Overlay Planning

AQUARELLE

Oh man, so excited to announce that Aquarelle will be joining Debacle this year! Ryan Potts has been a gigantic favorite over here at Debacle HQ for years. We were overjoyed to connect with him and receive his fantastic full length follow up record to 2013’s August Undone. It’s an album filled to the brim with emotion and a big next step for the project. Expect more information shortly including a pre-order link and early looks at album art and design.

Expected release in June

HIGH AURA’D

Photo by Justin Snow

Basically this seems to be the year of connecting with beloved artists. Much like Aquarelle, we are just flabbergasted to be working with John Kolodij on his next release. We are keeping this one a bit under wraps for now but there is a great proposed list of collaborators for this album, from the music to the art and packaging. The album itself is a beautiful tonal collage of different eras of High Aura’d coming together to tell a somber yet hopeful tale. Expected in September as we both agree this album is best taken in during the crisp waning light of autumn.

If this list of albums gets you excited (I mean c'mon!), please consider picking up some of our heavily discounted back catalog, or grabbing those pre-orders and help us get this year rolling.

Also, some big news coming shortly about Debacle Fest 2017, our TENTH year. We should have dates locked down and some early bird tickets shortly. We are targeting our traditional May celebration.

2014 was a helluva banner year for Debacle/MOTOR: Dreamweapon was a fucking force in the bunker-like confines of Kremwerk, our new home base for our parties here in Seattle. We took a trip down to Portland to hang with our MOTOR core there. Powell flew all the way over from the UK to demonstrate his selecting prowess, and hello--Container! We also had our dreams come true, hosting none other than Wolf Eyes for one our biggest crowds yet. Speaking about big crowds: Debacle Fest blew our minds with not only practically all the weirdos of the NW coming out of the woodwork to rock on some of the finest shit we could book, but it was just set after set of the best sets we've seen from those artists. Anyway, enough self-congratulation, this list is for the top stuff I witnessed over the past year, and while I could pat myself on the back all day for the great year we had, many others are also making cool shit happen:

Swans (Showbox Market, September 14th)

Do I really need to say anything more? I'm sure you can surmise why they'd be at the top of my list, so let's just keep in mind: Michael Gira is 60 years old and continues to be more enthralling than people half his age, and I doubt a tighter band exists. They also played for practically a week straight yet no one left halfway thru and there was zero banter or breaks.

Neutral Milk Hotel (Neptune Theater, April 4th)

This show sold out within three minutes, and not just because it's novel they came out of hiding. Like Swans, the band was extremely tight, there was very little bullshit banter to fill up space (as expected with as bashful a frontman as Jeff Mangum is) and they rocked out for hours. No hitches, all hits.

Diane Cluck (Gallery 1412, March 6th)

What a dream. Pretty sure I died and went to heaven. I'll just put this here:

Wow. A one-woman butoh performance (though scored by a band) boasting as much weight and emotion as a full production, using little more than expressive movements, powder, and dramatic lighting. This piece had me on the edge of my seat the whole time as it evoked pretty much the entirety of the human condition in a succinct vignette. This one had me feeling like I was watching a thriller. It's not surprising to learn Vanessa has been host to many a workshop teaching this piece to others.

White Gourd (Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, March 14th)

Dressed up like The Devil, and with a large backdrop of the tarot card looming above her, White Gourd gave one of the most mesmerizing performances this year. Many have done, and will continue probably forever, the whole solo performance helped by a chain of loop pedals thing, but dude! This had gongs! And chanting about how "the devil made me do it!" And just when it got real freaky, she made it rain on the audience with fake money bearing anti-capitalist messaging. Hell yeah.

Thunder Grey Pilgrim (private party, September 20th)

Okay, this one is cheating a bit because it was a private backyard autumn equinox party, but those can have some of the best intimate performances. This one was extra special, as the "chamber doom" trio treated us to a set around a bonfire that was so on-target I don't think anyone watching breathed the whole time.

Disemballerina & Kvndry Sings (Gallery 1412, August 17th)

On the topic of chamber doom, get yourself to the nearest site sharing Disemballerina's music and listen NOW! So beautiful, it's no wonder there's a good swirl of press around this band. Also touring with them was Kvndry Sings. Are you a fan of Antony Hegarty's? Well, look up this Oakland fellow whose voice bears a striking resemblance to the singer's heavenly falsetto, but does it dressed like a hellish metal head (complete with painted on forehead upside cross and mirrored upside down cross earrings.)

Lori Goldston and Julie Baldridge (Hothouse Spa, March 11th)

Another unconventional show to make the list--hey maybe there's something to shaking up the program with a different setting? But how does a heady duo of unplugged cello and violin floating through the air as you soak naked in a hot tub and sauna with only 19 other lucky attendees at an RSVP-only evening sound? Yeah, that's what I thought. Amazing.

Li'l Debbie (Crocodile, April 20th)

Alright, alright, alright. Why is she on this list? Though my phase with her lasted all of about the month surrounding this show, I'll tell you why: girl plays a CHARACTER and plays it well. I mean, it's debatable if she knows she's still a parody or has let her minor amount of fame get to her head now, but the show was entertaining as hell. And it was on "420!" People were throwing blunts AT her, pinging her in the face while she rapped about being able to "bake" a cake and just being ridiculous. Here's a blurry photo of me rocking out to her.

Fever Witch & Knifecream (Cairo, March 8th)

Two extremely tight sets from two very talented buds; Fever Witch being from Oakland and Knifecream being our Debacle bud Mitch.